Thirty Days of Thankfulness

Day 2:

Today did not go at all how I envisioned. and that is okay! I had the opportunity to be thankful for a lot more people in my life today than I thought would pop into my day. Here are 10 things I'm thinking of right now that stood out to me today:

1. Strangers with jumper cables
2. Grandparents nearby who drop everything to rescue me and my kiddos even when we didn't end up really needing it.
3. Parents who drop in with
4. Leftovers (which we hardly ever have because we eat more than we should - but we're not fat yet, so...).
5. Brothers. Especially ones whose birthdays are today.
6. Sunshine!
7. Pasta - my ability to eat it and the many varieties available at my local grocery store - tonight we tried acini di pepe and it reminded me of cous cous but didn't cost me any more than regular spaghetti.
8. Imagination. Especially when my kids use theirs to play pretend while I doze on the couch ;)
9. Fall weather. How awesome is it to wear sweaters and blankets and breathe frosty air some days and pull your shorts back out the next?!
10. This couch I'm sitting on. Because it's soft and cozy after a long day and because couches and I have a long Craigslist history.

***

Day 3:

November 3rd. Third day in a row of making my bed. Twice. Because I'm still gonna nap when all my littles are napping - whether my bed has been made or not.

Things I'm thankful for today:

1. Days with no agenda (especially squeezed between days with full agendas)
2. Parks within walking distance (+ no agenda = time to stop and stare at everything)
3. Public library with lots of great toys (also within walking distance)
4. Squirrels and chipmunks and bees and dogs and roses and so much wildlife all around us even in town.
5. Halloween candy (it makes for great bribes and also great secret snacking)
6. New words. Lucy's vocabulary is exploding and it is so cute. And so helpful to know what she wants to communicate!
7. Baby toes (and older babies who like to nibble them with me)
8. Eating outside. It's fun to change up the routine and let the kids run wild, spilling their crumbs into the grass where nobody will have to sweep them up. Thanks for the warmer day, November.
9. Life-long friends who get me and know just what to say when I start freaking out.
10. Time - that it keeps ticking to keep you on your toes, and that it ticks so slowly to let you breathe everything in.

***
Day 4:

Four days. I couldn't even make my bed for four days! But husband saved the day. Truth be told, I didn't make the bed because there was fresh baby spit up on the bed and I wanted it to dry. It still hasn't been washed.

1. Cinnamon rolls! Or coffee cake as Husband's family calls them. Yumyumyumyum
2. Sibling-friends. Especially when they bring you cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
3. Sidewalks. At our old house we took walks around the neighborhood and taught our small girl to run into the grass at the sight or sound of a moving vehicle. She quickly unlearned this survival tool after moving to our new house because there are sidewalks everywhere we walk and we don't have to be on the look out for moving vehicles. 
4. Trikes. and the small legs that peddle them.
5. Cooking BY MYSELF in the kitchen. Weekend cooking is glorious.
6. So much family in such a small space. Parts of our family are very spread out - our hands can't even connect our country to theirs on a map - but much of our family is very close. And that is a beautiful thing.
7. Warm sun, cool air. Mmmm, fall weather.
8. Family gatherings in which I can take my eyes off my children because I know everybody else is watching out for them too. It feels funny to watch someone else save my baby from the path of a car before I'd even noticed she'd run off. Funny, and oh so safe.
9. Many generations knowing each other and living together. There are four of us in the same town. In the same church. On Saturday, we were around the same table.
10. Grammy. (Happy birthday!)

***

Day: 5

1. That babies sleep in on overcast mornings.
2. When you think you are going to have to do a hard thing and then you do not have to do the hard thing.
3. Church. I love going and taking my babies. It's where my friends are. It restores my spirit and resets my focus.
4. Olives in artisan bread.
5. Dinner guests who cook half the dinner and clean up your kitchen afterwards and don't ask where things are, but open drawers and cupboards to find things for themselves. <3
6. Cookies. And my aunt who has been making them with me (and now with my girls) since the beginning of time.
7. Hymns at bedtime. And snuggles and reassurance that we all do love each other even if the bedtime routine often includes some impatient tones.
8. Smiley, curious baby boy. Especially when I get him to myself for a few minutes - meaning my attention isn't divided and his sisters aren't sitting on him.
9. Socks. Except for when I'm under the covers - then they must come off.
10. Sleepy toys. Except for when the babies can't find theirs in the middle of the night.

***
Day 6:

1. RAIN DAYS! Husband came running back up the stairs this morning, flopped on the bed, and declared it a rain day. We will miss random days off due to weather when he transitions to his next job. After a long night with too many wake ups to re-stuff a paci in a baby's mouth, this was just what I needed.
2. Tiny grocery carts. Because they give my tiny people so much joy.  
3. Grocery shopping. And meal planning - which I finally started doing after we became a family of 5. It's going swimmingly. I don't know what took me so long!
4. Able bodies. Husband biked with the girls in the bike trailer while I walked with the baby in a backpack carrier and we conquered the town.
5. Making things with my hands. Usually my homemade things are shoddy. But when I get it to turn out just right with very little $$ invested? I.am.beaming.
6. Husband who knows his way around the kitchen. He fixed my pizza dough tonight in a jiffy and had the baking time and temperature memorized.
7. Second chances. My babies are quick to forgive their mama when she runs out of patience. They're also quick to forget that they've decided to start obeying. 😒
8. Rain boots and a bright rain coat. They make rainy days more fun.
9. Finishing to-do lists. So satisfying.
10. Our garage, which is our biggest, bestest playroom.

***

Day 7:

1. Windows. Because kids look so angelic looking out of them. And because there's no substitute for natural lighting. And because windows let you stay warm and dry inside but still enjoy the beauty of harsh weather.
2. Buckles. Because my kids haven't yet learned how to unbuckle themselves. Whether in the car, stroller, or booster seat at the kitchen table, I can still force them to stay put when I need to.
3. Breastfeeding. Because it's healthy and FREE and the best weight loss program I've ever tried (also the only one I've ever tried).
4. Warm drinks. Especially creamy warm drinks. Because a warm mug makes my hand feel like it has found its life purpose. I think having to sip slowly gives me the same benefit that stopping to take some deep breaths would - but with the added benefit of something sweet and warm inside me. Today I had coffee, hot chocolate, and tea!
5. Rudolf. Not the reindeer, our van - named for the bright red Saturn symbol right square between the headlights (although we never ever use its name). We prefer to walk whenever possible, but the van is essential for grocery shopping and pre-school pick-up-ing. 
6. Preschool! It has given our weeks a nice rhythm and I don't worry about thinking up fun activities for my almost-four-year-old because I know she's getting enough of that at school.
7. Mashed potatoes. I guess I'm on a warm, creamy kick!
8. Kid's books. I love reading books to my girls. Our library is full of great ones - silly, historical, rhyming, educational, seasonal, moral, etc. etc. etc. We love them all!
9. Sound machines. They help our kids sleep. Or at least they help me feel like we're helping our kids sleep.
10. Blankets. You can tell it was cold today, haha. But seriously. Tell me you don't feel more cozy under a blanket.

***

Day 8:

1. The luxury of staying home with just my own kids all day. I know it's not the most economical way to raise the next generation and I'm thankful we're able to live this way.
2. Watercolors (which wash off easily) and Bob Ross (with his soothing narration)
3. Smiles. They're free to give and I give them freely. And boy oh boy do I love a good baby smile.
4. Soy sauce. For obvious reasons.
5. The Office. Because sometimes it makes my husband laugh out loud and I love that sound.
6. Water bottles.
7. Stools. And my responsible preschooler who uses them to problem solve on her own.
8. Sneaking spoonfuls of ice cream - even if sneaking them left the freezer door cracked overnight. 😬
9. Having a mailbox down the street. It's a good excuse/reminder to take a little walk and get some fresh air.
10. Paper. We go through a lot of it over here.

***

Day 9:

1. CHRISTMAS MUSIC ON THE RADIO! and my people who message me asap to let me know <3
2. Spanish! And the opportunity to dust it off and make use of something I know and love.
3. An hour out of the house doing something other than taking care of kiddos.
4. Two bags of discount bagels with superb flavors inside!
5. Tips from other parents via social media. We're attempting a new reward/punishment system using beans and a jar. The 4 hours that we've been using it, it's been great! I've gotten a lot of art and activity ideas this way too.
6. Freshly washed sheets.
7. Being on time. Even with three Littles. #rockstarmom #tootingmyownhorn #bragbragbrag
8. Laundry folded by my husband. Because he actually makes it nice and neat so it still feels clean when we put it on, instead of a rumpled leaning tower of cotton.
9. Getting to do my daughter's hair. She used to always pull it out and some day she'll want to style it herself, but for now I get to brush it out and put it up - if I follow her directions very closely.
10. Under ripe bananas. They taste so good when they're still a little green.

***

Days 10-13:

You guys. I'm slipping! I'm four days behind in my thankfulness lists. That means I have 40 things to list. Ready? Here we go.

1. Free babysitting.
2. Kissing my already-sleeping-because-someone-else-put- them-to-sleep babies hello and goodnight.
3. The smell of baby drool. #intoxicating
4. Chatting with and understanding my parents better.
5. The weekend. And all the family time that comes with it.
6. Hot showers.
7. Hour-long improv sessions with our drama queen.
8. Games. And fun people to play them with.
9. Chips. crunch + salt 🤤
10. Being the one that calms them. 👶👧👧
11. Kid scissors.
12. Construction paper.
13. Glue. Especially after it dries on your hands.
14. Candles.
15. The crunch of frozen grass.
16. Shimmering early morning frost.
17. Bright moon slivers.
18. Dusting spray. I was being cheap and just wiping with a damp rag, but I decided to spring for some dusting spray to see if it really held the dust off longer. It doesn't hurt that the can of spray claims it kills allergens. It's probably just the placebo effect, but I feel like I breathe better right after dusting now. 
19. Mops. You guys, I am on a cleaning spree today. I'm sick of the congestion my mini-me and I have had for the past many millions of months. So I'm removing carpets and curtains, mopping and dusting all surfaces, and if we still can't breathe, I don't know what I'll do. Probably call someone to come clean out our air ducts. Which my research says is a hoax, but idk what else to do.
20. The internet. And all the information and products that I can easily research from the comfort of my dust mite infested couch.
21. Clothes dryer. Because you can throw curtains and pillows and last season's clothes in there for 20 minutes and kill all the dust mites
22. Milkshakes.
23. Ring warranties (and an excuse to go to the mall every 6 months. and sparkly fresh rings).
24. Christmas lights and decorations.
25. People who hold the door with a cheerful smile while it takes me and my Littles 10 years to walk through it.
26. Friendly Salvation Army bell ringers who offer my kids a turn to ring the bell.
27. Auntie Anne's free samples 🤤
28. Bullet lists. And bullet journaling. 
29. Thermostats
30. The walk-ability of our town.
31. Strollers.
32. Carseats. Not because I love excess and expensive safety, but because I love that my kids can't get out of them. And because my kids play with them indoors for hours.
33. Straws.
34. Love.
35. Soap.
36. Texting.
37. Cotton candy sunset clouds.
38. Chocolate.
39. Whipped cream.
40. Blogs!

***

Day 14:

1. Dishes to wash
2. Fresh air to breathe
3. Giant employees
4. Poop breaks 😂
5. New words
6. New recipes
7. Leggings
8. Indoor lighting
9. Chapstick
10. Calendars/schedules

***

Day 15:

1. Bouncy seats and walkers
2. Sibling love
3. Knowing how to plunk around on the piano even though I'm terrible at it and still get frustrated by my inability after 7 years of piano lessons
4. Lessons in nature about beauty before death and death bringing life
5. Deep joy and peace
6. Fluffy clouds that look like different things to different people
7. A cleanable house. It takes about 5 minutes to tidy the whole downstairs no matter how messy
8. photos.
9. cameras. because ^
10. The last dandelions of the season

***

Day 16:

Days 17 - 30: Fail.